PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

09 May PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

Practice

“Tomorrow’s battle is won during today’s practice.” – Old samurai proverb

In today’s modern, productivity driven market it is easy to forget or marginalize the statistically unlikely. Deadly accidents don’t happen often enough to be a daily concern and it is human nature to use the “it won’t happen to me” coping mechanism to rationalize risky behavior.

Practice

Modern training dogma touts complex tasks must be performed hundreds of times before they become second nature. Even simple tasks, when performed under pressure become difficult to perform. As adrenaline floods the blood stream, fine motor skills are lost. As the heart rate rises, basic thinking skills are lost. Rescue skills are inherently meant to be performed in the field under duress.

Practice

That said, practicing rescues is woefully under-prioritized in the tower industry. Due to the remote nature of much of our work, the impetus is on us to be prepared to rescue each other in case of an accident. CPR, First Aid, and High Angle Rescues are part of the job. Yet most companies only perform rescues during annual re-certifications. Why is that?